The next day at school, everything went on as normal. No one even mentioned the Darek and Mako incident. As it was they were being prosecuted by the school and Kim was sure that that the fact that the only news coverage given to their actions debunked and humiliated them really pissed Darek and Mako off.

It was lunchtime and Ron was talking to Cleo, whom he'd invited to sit with himself, Kim, and Monique. The topic of discussion was the semi school shooting.

"You know, the downside to the whole thing being resolved so quickly," Cleo was saying, "is that it didn't get much publicity. I mean, since we defeated Darek and Mako so quickly, no one cares."

"Are you saying that you wish we hadn't stopped them?" Kim asked.

Cleo shook her head. "No, I'm just talking about the downsides, that's all."

"So Cleo," Ron began, "where did you learn all that stuff?"

"The martial arts?"

"Yeah."

Cleo shrugged. "My father taught me."

"Monique grinned. "I wish my dad would teach me how to kick butt."

"Oh, it is much more than 'kicking butt'," Cleo said. "What I have-"

BEEP BEEP BEEBEEP Kim and Ron's Kimmunicators sounded off simultaneously, cutting Cleo off."

Kim flipped her Kimmunicator out. "What's the sitch Wade?"

Wade's face appeared on the compact screen, as always, he was typing something at a furious pace. "Fire at the Middleton Bank," Wade said.

"Robbers?"

"Don't know, but innocent people are trapped in there."

"We're on it Wade," Ron said. He turned to Kim. "Uh, KP.how are we going to get out of school?"

Kim pursed her lips, glancing over at the door. A solitary teacher stood there, arms crossed over his chest like a sentry. "We need a distraction."

"Wait," Cleo interrupted. 'Who was that guy you were talking to on your cell phone, and why are you trying to leave school?" She of course knew perfectly well the answers to these questions but 'Cleo' wasn't supposed to.

"Long story," Ron said hurriedly. "I'll-I'll explain it to you sometime."

Kim bristled at this statement, rather confused that Ron was even entertaining the notion of sharing that secret with someone they'd just met. She made a mental note to talk with Ron about that.

"What you two need is a distraction," Monique was saying.

"Yeah, but what?"

Monique bit her lower lip thoughtfully. She stood up, and began to walk over to the a la carte section, but instead of ordering something, she fell.

"Owwwwwwwww," she yelled, holding her left ankle as if it were broken.

"Ahhhgggggg. I think I broke my ankle!"

Kim had to hand it to Monique. She was a pretty good actor.

Confused, the teacher guarding the door jogged over to where Monique had fallen, parting the crowd of kids that had accumulated. "Uh, is everything alright?" he asked.

Monique shook her head, contorting her face into a mask of pain, even as her eyes her eyes strayed towards Kim and Ron who were tiptoeing towards the door.

". . .and I need to know if you can move your foot."

Monique's eyes strayed back to the teacher. "Um, you know, actually.my ankle feels better."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said Mr. Warner and I guess it's a miracle but my leg doesn't hurt any more."

A very confused Mr. Warner wandered back to his post, scratching his head in confusion.

Monique glanced over at her table, giving a silent cheer as she rose to her feet that her two friends had managed to make it out.

She did a double take. Cleo was gone too.

***
"In there," the fireman said. There are some more people in the lobby but we can't get in."

They were standing in front of the Middleton Bank. Smoke was pouring out of the windows and firefighters were hosing down the flames as best as they could. Some people with singed clothes were lucky enough to have gotten out but Kim could sense that there were still some people trapped inside.

"Cleo!" The voice was Ron's and Kim turned around, startled. About five feet away was Cleo. There was a look of seriousness on her face but somehow, at least to Kim, it seemed insincere.

The fireman jerked a thumb at Cleo. "Who is she?"

"Me?" Cleo asked. "I'm Cleo."

The fireman rolled his eyes and gestured to one of the police officers nearby. "Hey Bill," he said. "Would you please get this girl in school or something. I mean, we have a situation as you know and I don't have time to deal with some girl who's skipping school."

The officer nodded and started towards Cleo. "OK girl, go on now, shoo."

Cleo resisted the urge to maybe fry him with an energy beam and instead plastered a sweet innocent smile. "Wait," she said, looking straight into his eyes. "You don't want to send me back. I could be of much help getting those people out of the bank."

It had been a long time since Cleo had used her hypnotism and she hoped it was as potent as it used to be. She had nothing to worry about however because the policeman nodded dutifully. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said in monotone, completely under her power.

The fireman frowned. "Bill. . ." he began in confusion. Unfortunately for him, his eyes caught Cleo's and with an almost brutal efficiency, she invaded his mind, subjecting it to her own will. A glazed look came over the firefighter's eyes.

"That's OK," he said in the same monotone as the policeman, seeming to gaze nowhere in particular.

Cleo smiled and turned back to Ron and Kim. Ron didn't seem to have noticed but Cleo thought she saw a gleam of suspicion in Kim's eyes.

Spreading her hands out for emphasis, Cleo asked incredulously, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

When the three reached the bank entrance, Kim immediately sized up the situation. The front door wasn't an option since the flames were mostly concentrated there.

"How can we get in?" she asked herself. Kim pondered it for a moment, contemplating the different options.

"The skylight," Cleo burst out an instant before Kim reached the same conclusion.

"There's a skylight?" Ron asked.

Kim nodded. "Yeah, haven't you ever noticed it? Its like, in the middle of the roof."

"Oh," Ron said, brightening up. "Then what are we waiting for?" Ron pulled out his grappling gun with Kim following suit. Taking careful aim, he fired. The two grappling claws sailed over the top of the burning building secured themselves on the edge. Kim began to scale the wall, noting with no small amount of irritation how Cleo latched onto Ron for the climb. "Just because she can beat up two high school kids doesn't mean she can handle the kind of work that Ron and I do," she muttered to herself. Kim furrowed her brow, slightly surprised at how much her attitude towards Cleo had changed.

Ron and Cleo reached the top first with Kim coming about five seconds later. As expected, the skylight was right there in front of them.

"You know," Ron was saying, " it seems kind of stupid to put a skylight in a bank when you think about it. I mean, wouldn't it be pretty easy for a robber or something to just get in through there at night or something."

Kim bent on one knee, giving the skylight a once over. There was smoke clouding the room below-it reminded her that time was of the essence. Raising one hand, she struck downward in a martial arts blow.

"OOOOOWWWWWWWWW!" When Kim's hand hit the glass, it bounced off like a rock hitting a steel wall. She felt and heard several knuckles crack.

Trying to keep a straight face, Cleo turned to Ron. "I guess the bank's designers weren't that stupid."

"Ron was slightly more sympathetic to Kim. He nodded briefly and walked over. "You OK KP?" he asked.

Kim nodded, still wincing. "I guess the glass must be reinforced, I mean, I hit it with everything I had."

Cleo stepped up just then, half pushing Kim out of the way. "Here's how its done," she said simply. Rearing her hand back, she hit the glass in a controlled, yet effective strike. There was a low humming sound as the 'unbreakable' glass seemed to bend, then it shattered into a million pieces.

Ron said, "Man Cleo, can you fly too? What about heat vision?"

"No, I can't fly.but that's only because my cape is at the dry cleaners," Cleo teased back.

Kim rolled her eyes and hopped through the opening that Cleo had provided, landing gracefully on her feet.

"Ladies first," Ron told Cleo from above.

"Why thank you." Cleo leaped through the broken window. Kim found herself half hoping that Cleo would hurt herself on the five meter fall. Cleo did not though. She landed like a cat with all of the grace of an Olympic gymnast. Ron came last, doing a tuck and roll instead of descending upright.

Kim immediately noticed the small, unconscious boy trapped in one of the corners of the bank. She rushed over to him and picked him up jumping back before flames incinerated the place where she had been standing.

Ron and Cleo hurried over to the front desk. Behind it lay a man moaning. "At least he's still conscious," she said to Ron. Hefting the quite heavyset man in a two person hold, they managed to get him to an untouched portion of the bank. The man coughed and then pointed to a stairwell that led downward. 'Robbers," he gasped weakly.

"Over there?" Cleo asked.

The cashier nodded.

Cleo looked at Ron. "We need to get down there," Cleo said.

Ron shook his head. "Better to get these people out of here and let KP take care of it."

"KP? Oh-Kim." Cleo said the name with a faint trace of disgust. "Think she can handle it?"

"Definitely. Now help me get this guy outside." Ron turned to Kim. "Kim, our guy says there's some robbers downstairs-I'm guessing that would be the vault."

Kim nodded. "On it." She wasn't used to Ron being the one in charge of a situation, but he was doing it now. And she liked it.